Tag Archives: blogging

JOHNNY RINGO (1959-1960) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

JOHNNY RINGO (1959) – Don Durant starred as the one and only Johnny Ringo, the real-life gunslinger. The fictional setting of this program takes place between Johnny’s original rise to fame during the Mason County War in Texas and his final years in Arizona as part of the Clanton-McLaury Crime Faction led by Curly Bill Brocius. Aaron Spelling was the producer.

Ringo is depicted being weary of his life as a gunfighter, so he tries to turn over a new leaf by becoming the Sheriff of the fictional town of Velardi in Arizona Territory. An odd gimmick of the Johnny Ringo television series was the fact that Johnny wielded a special seven-shot pistol designed by the real-life gunmaker Jean LeMat.

Other regular cast members were Mark Goddard as William Cully aka Kid Adonis, Ringo’s deputy; Karen Sharpe as Laura Thomas and Thomas Mitchell as Laura’s father Case Thomas, town drunk turned sheriff’s deputy. Johnny Ringo ran for one pilot episode followed by 38 regular season half-hour episodes. Star Don Durant wrote and sang the theme song.   

THE EPISODES: Continue reading

20 Comments

Filed under Forgotten Television, FRONTIERADO

THE OZIDI SAGA OF NIGERIA: PART THREE

FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE. FOR PART TWO CLICK HERE.

PART THREE: When we left off, our hero Ozidi the Younger had just finished slaying the first of his father’s murderers and Ozidi reminded his mentally unfit uncle, King Temugedege, that he is having to take care of the family business that he is incapable of. When all of the killers of Ozidi the Elder have been dealt with, his father’s spirit will be free from the deadlands limbo in which it currently dwells. 

Azezabife the Half Man (also called Kemepara), another of his father’s murderers, is the next to confront Ozidi. The narrative makes it clear that despite his bluster and his graphic description of the way he intends to kill our hero, Azezabife is frightened deep down.   

This figure is called the Half Man because one half of his body is normal while the other half is hideous and monstrous. Azezabife was spawned by the deadlands and in that limbo there is another of him whose body is human on the half where the living Azezafife is monstrous and vice versa. Continue reading

10 Comments

Filed under Mythology

MY TOP FOUR WESTERNS BASED ON REAL-LIFE FIGURES

butch cassidy and the sundance kid 2We all know that in real life the celebrated “heroes” of the old west were a pack of corrupt and/or outrightly criminal thugs who would have had a pretty odd worldview. And let’s face it, by our standards their personal hygiene habits would have been pretty disgusting.

But since the Frontierado holiday is all about celebrating the myth of the West and not the grinding reality of it here’s my list of the Top Four Westerns Based on Real-Life Figures. Coming up with lists like this is one of the perks of being the international commissioner of Frontierado (along with the seven-figure income and a staff of three hundred people).

butch cassidy and the sundance kid1. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) – Redford and Newman set the standard for the “buddy western” with this magnificent movie. Newman once described this flick by saying “It’s a Continue reading

16 Comments

Filed under FRONTIERADO

IRISH NELLIE CASHMAN: A FRONTIERADO LOOK

The Frontierado Holiday falls on Friday, August 7th this year. As always, the holiday is about the myth of the Old West, not the grinding reality. For looks at female gunslingers of the West click HEREFor looks at other women and men of the Far North Gold Rushes click HERE.

IRISH NELLIE CASHMAN – Nellie Cashman was born Ellen O’Kissane in 1845. Sometime between 185o and 1852 her family moved to Boston, where the ambitious young woman was later working as a bellhop at Boston hotels. During the U.S. Civil War Nellie did some spying for the Union cause, following which she and her family moved to San Francisco in 1866.

Irish Nellie worked at various legal professions in Virginia City, NV and Pioche, NV before heading North to British Columbia in Canada during the 1870s Gold Rush. Cashman established a boarding house for gold miners at Telegraph Creek. The savvy businesswoman made money from that venture as well as investing in the gold claims of some of her boarders.

Irish Nellie used part of her growing fortune to finance the Sisters of Saint Anne. When snowstorms trapped dozens of gold seekers in the Cassiar Mountains in a series of avalanches, Irish Nellie heard that Canadian authorities were advising against rescue attempts due to how dangerous the Cassiars were.

That kind of talk was the proverbial music to Nellie’s ears, and soon she took charge of a half-dozen men and led them to the rescue of the trapped gold seekers, many of whom were already dead. She brought food and medicine to them. Cashman herself was briefly buried in one of the series of avalanches but managed to dig herself out. The “Angel of the Cassiars” saved the lives of around 75 people.   Continue reading

14 Comments

Filed under FRONTIERADO

AUD-I-SEE SERIES (1978)

AUD-I-SEE aka AudiSee (1978) – Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at the largely forgotten AudiSee series of audiovisual science fiction stories for adolescents. Each episode is roughly 30 minutes long. The audio element consists of voice actors including a narrator. The visual element consists of an illustrated booklet that came with the AudiSee package.

As the story progressed, the tween could read along while listening to sharpen reading skills. A slight beep would indicate that it was time to turn the page. Here in 2026 there are people who have been kind enough to upload the AudiSee series online. The videos eliminate the need for page-turning as the episodes unfold onscreen with color illustrations of each page of the booklet. 

The series was produced by Russ Tamblyn’s younger brother Lawrence from the 1960s musical group the Standells of Dirty Water fame. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under opinion

THE GREEN HORNET

This weekend’s superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at some of the earliest comic book adaptations of the iconic character the Green Hornet. That figure originated on radio in January 1936 and in a very early example of a shared universe, the Green Hornet’s secret identity was Britt Reid, grand-nephew of John Reid – the Lone Ranger.

Britt’s father was the son of the Dan Reid kid that frequently interacted with his uncle the Lone Ranger from the 1933 radio show on to the Clayton Moore television series. In fact, Britt Reid’s pride in his family’s heroic forebear inspired him to don a mask and costume and fight Detroit’s racketeers like the Lone Ranger fought outlaws in the Old West.

In the radio series and screen serials the Green Hornet’s gun was loaded with knockout gas but in comic books and television his gun fired electric blasts called the Hornet’s Sting. The Hornet’s sidekick was Kato, most famously portrayed on the tv series by Bruce Lee. Kato drove the Black Beauty, the Green Hornet’s souped-up, gizmo-filled car. The Black Beauty came before the Batmobile and any of James Bond’s tricked-out vehicles.

And just as the Lone Ranger show’s theme music came from classical music – the William Tell overture – the Green Hornet show’s theme came from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumble Bee.

Britt Reid’s father was the millionaire publisher of the newspaper The Daily Sentinel and he put his good-timing playboy son in charge hoping the responsibility would make him grow up and abandon his partying. Britt pretended to still be a shallow playboy to make sure his father and the public never realized he was secretly that scourge of crime the Green Hornet.   

The police and even Daily Sentinel crime reporter Mike Axford (formerly of the 1932 radio series Warner Lester, Manhunter) misunderstood the Green Hornet’s vigilante activities and suspected the masked hero of being a criminal himself. The Hornet took advantage of that misperception by convincing some of his gangster foes that he was indeed an outlaw and wanted a cut of their illegal operations.

Completing the Green Hornet program’s supporting cast was Britt Reid’s sexy secretary Lenore Case aka “Casey.” And another show in the shared Lone Ranger-Green Hornet-Manhunter universe was radio’s Sgt. Preston of the Yukon. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

FOOL KILLER PART SEVENTY: APRIL 1914

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THE 1850s, CLICK HERE.

PART 70 – Some of the Fool Killer’s targets on both sides of the aisle in the April 1914 edition of James Larkin Pearson’s version of the folk figure:

*** Politicians who wanted to invade Mexico because of the continuing chaos there, stating it was being considered just to protect the property of American millionaires in Mexico.

*** Civilian Jingoists who talked tough about invading Mexico, claiming that if war actually did break out those same people would try to avoid military service.

*** The scamming Marriage Brokers of the time period.

*** People who opposed North Carolina’s law prohibiting alcohol. Despite Pearson’s usual pro-liberty stances, he and his Fool Killer supported bans on alcohol and tobacco. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Mythology, Neglected History, opinion

ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: THE STEAM MAN OF THE PRAIRIES (1868)

Steam Man of the PrairiesTHE STEAM MAN OF THE PRAIRIES (1868) – Written by Edward Sylvester Ellis. Before the Frank Reade stories came this work that is often hailed as the first Dime Novel with a science fiction theme.

Ellis seems to have been inspired by the REAL and well-known Newark Steam Man built by Zadoc P. Dederick in January of 1868. That Steam Man was built strictly to pull carts and wagonloads up and down the street. Its human appearance was just a novelty.

Back to Ellis’ novel: In Saint Louis lives Johnny Brainerd, a 15 year old dwarf with a hunchback, who has a brilliant mind in his misshapen body. After a long line of somewhat modest inventions Johnny constructs a human-shaped Steam Man that stands 9 feet tall. It has long legs with spiked feet, has the boilers in its chest, the firepot in its stomach and lets excess steam vent from its hat. (Dederick’s Newark Steam Man also wore a top hat.) The creation’s nose serves as its whistle, like on a tea kettle.      Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Ancient Science Fiction, FRONTIERADO

TEXAS JACK VERMILLION: NEGLECTED GUNSLINGER

The Frontierado Holiday falls on Friday, August 7th this year. As always, Frontierado is about the myth of the old west, not the grinding reality. 

JOHN WILSON VERMILLION aka TEXAS JACK VERMILLION and “SHOOT-YOUR-EYE-OUT” VERMILLION, was born in Virginia in 1842 to William and Nancy Vermillion. After the Civil War broke out in 1861, Jack enlisted in the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry sometime in 1862.

When the war ended in April 1865, Jack moved to Indiana, where he married Margaret Horton that September. By 1866 Vermillion was working as a Territorial Marshall in the eastern part of still-chaotic post-Civil War Missouri.

As for how our man got the nickname Texas Jack, multiple possible explanations are given. One version states it came from his insistent preference for riding Texas Quarter-Horses. Another states it came from spending time in Texas in the late 1860s or early 1870s.

Some accounts state Vermillion claimed to be from Texas and related Tall Tales that the Lone Star State had jackrabbits as big as horses. One illogical account claims that when Jack was asked why he was called Texas Jack he replied “Because I’m from Virginia.” Well, okay then! 

At any rate, Jack and Margaret had a daughter named Mary and then a son whose name has not come down to us. A few weeks after that son was born, Marshall Vermillion had to travel as part of his duties. Different reasons are given, like extraditing a prisoner or prisoners, or pursuit of outlaws or prison escapees. Continue reading

22 Comments

Filed under FRONTIERADO

B-MOVIE HOST WOLFMAN MAC (2008-2011)

WOLFMAN MAC – This werewolf Movie Host was played by Mac Kelly, who took the obvious Wolfman Jack reference and ran with it! And good for him! Why not? Kelly had grown up watching Michigan Movie Hosts like the Ghoul and Sir Graves Ghastly and others. He and the rest of the creative team launched Wolfman Mac’s Nightmare Sinema on Public Access Cable on July 19th, 2008 with the time-honored Golden Turkey Robot Monster (1953).

Nightmare Sinema became such a hit that Kelly and company got to live the dream – going from Public Access to a spot on “real” television. Their final episode of WMNS aired on March 7th, 2009 with the Spanish zombie movie Horror of the Zombies (1974) from the Blind Dead series. Their show had been seen in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario.

Retitled Wolfman Mac’s Chiller Drive-In, the show, the happy go lucky lycanthrope and his supporting cast debuted April 25th, 2009 on Detroit’s WMYD as well as MyNetworkTV affiliate stations in Florida. Devil Doll (1964) was the movie presented on that date. Continuing as virtual co-host was Boney Bob (Aaron Helferich) a wisecracking skeleton puppet in the spirit of Shrimpenstein from the 1960s and Joel Hodgson’s puppet-bots from 1988 onward. Continue reading

10 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies, Movie Hosts